Boerne planning commission approves Buc‑ee’s No. 41A plat after questions on acreage, signage and traffic study

The Boerne Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to approve a major subdivision plat for Buc‑ee’s No. 41A, a parcel along Interstate 10, after a staff presentation and public questions about acreage, signage and traffic impacts.

City planner Frankie Linder told the commission the plat before the body covers 3.976 acres and includes two nonresidential lots (Lot 4, 2.98 acres; Lot 5, just under 1 acre). Linder said the parcel is zoned C‑3 and is within the Scenic Interstate Corridor Overlay District, noting that “this overlay district regulates many things from signage to screening and landscaping” but that specific overlay compliance is handled during the permitting process rather than at plat recordation.

Resident Dana Mathis urged the commission to clarify several items before a vote, raising apparent inconsistencies in published acreage totals and asking whether the amended development agreement and the Unified Development Code requirements (including dark‑sky and water‑capture provisions) would bind the proposed plat. Mathis also asked whether Buc‑ee’s could install an additional 40‑foot sign on the parcel and requested the city strengthen the traffic impact assessment (TIA) protocol to account for weekend/holiday spikes and to verify the TIA six months after the facility opens. "I'm requesting that the TIA requirements and acceptance language in the UTC be revised and strengthened," Mathis said, and asked the city to "verify the Buc‑ee's TIA 6 months after the start up of the facility to see if the analysis was correct."

Jeff Carroll, speaking for city staff about traffic analysis, said Boerne’s code focuses on weekday peak hours but also allows examination of Saturday or Sunday peaks; he added that the code does not capture rare interstate peak days such as Thanksgiving or the day before Christmas. Carroll described staff’s use of commercial data (Placer) and study of other Buc‑ee’s locations to test the applicant’s custom trip generation. "Our code does not account for those couple peak days of the year," Carroll said, while noting staff reviewed Buc‑ee’s custom trip rates against local cellphone‑based data.

Commissioners sought clarity on whether the recently approved council amendment to the development agreement had been fully executed; staff said signatures were being gathered and that pad sites discussed in older exhibits were optional and have been removed from the current agreement, meaning any future reinstatement would require a further amendment to the development agreement and likely additional review.

After discussion, Commissioner Cates moved to accept staff findings and approve the proposed plat subject to staff stipulations; Commissioner Bassinio seconded. The commission voted 6 in favor, none opposed.

What’s next: staff recommended that the final plat "substantially conform" with the final plat dated 01/22/2026 and that clerical corrections be made before recordation. Traffic and permit‑level compliance with the Scenic Interstate Overlay requirements will be handled during subsequent permitting and construction reviews.